Chocky went on, patiently:
`We are explorers. We are at present, as far as we know, the only explorers of the universe. For a long time we thought that ours was the only planet that could support life. Then we found others that could – a few. For still longer we thought we are unique – the only intelligent form of life – utterly lonely in the horrid wastes of space… Again we discovered we were mistaken…’
‘But intelligent life is rare… very rare indeed… the rarest thing in creation…’
‘But the most precious…’
‘For intelligent life is the only thing that gives meaning to the universe. It is a holy thing, to be fostered and treasured.’
‘Therefore, the support of all intelligent forms is a sacred duty. Even the merest spark of reason must be fanned in the hope of a flame. Frustrated intelligence must have its bonds broken. Narrow-channelled intelligence must be given the power to widen out. High intelligence must be learned from. That is why I have stayed here.’
`And into which of these categories do you think the Intelligent life of this planet falls?’ I asked.
The Chocky-Matthew voice answered that without hesitation.
‘Narrow-channelled. It has recently managed to over-come some of its frustrations by its own efforts – which is hopefully good progress at your age. It is now in a groove of primitive technology.’
‘But it seems to us that we are making progress pretty fast.’
‘Yes. You have not done badly with electricity in a hundred years. And you did well with steam in quite a short time. But all that is so inefficient. And your oil engines are dirty, noisy, poisonous, and the cars you drive with them are barbarous, dangerous …’
‘Yes,’ I interrupted. `You mentioned that before, to Matthew. But we do have atomic power now.’
‘Very crudely, yes. You are learning, slowly. But you still live in a finite, sun-based economy.’
‘Sun-based?’
‘Yes. Everything you are, and have, you owe to tile radiations from your sun. Direct radiations you must have to keep your bodies alive, and to grow your food, and provide fresh-water; and they could continue to support you for millions of years. But to grow and expand intelligence needs power.
‘It is true you have an elementary form of atomic power which you will no doubt improve. But that is almost your only investment for your future. Most of your power is being used to build machines to consume power faster and faster, while your sources of power remain finite. There can be only one end to that.’
‘You have a point there,’ I agreed. `What, in your opinion, ought we to be doing?’
‘You should be employing your resources, while you still have them, to develop the use of a source of power which is not finite. Once you have an infinite supply of power you will have broken out of the closed circle of your solar-economy. You will no longer be isolated and condemned to eventual degeneration upon wasted resources. You will become a part of the larger creation, for a source of infinite power is a source of infinite possibilities.’
‘I see,’ I said. `At least, I think I see – dimly. What is this source of infinite power?’
‘It is radiation – throughout the cosmos. It can be tapped and used.’
I thought. Then I said:
‘It is a funny thing that in a world crowded with scientists nobody has suspected the existence of this source of power.’
‘It is an equally funny thing that two hundred of your years ago nobody understood, nor suspected, the potentials of electricity. But they were there to be discovered. So is xxxxx.’
‘So is – what?’
‘Matthew has no word for it. It is a concept he cannot grasp.’
After a pause I asked:
‘So you are here to sell us a new form of power. Why?’
‘I have told you that. Intelligent forms are rare. In each form they owe a duty to all other forms. Today we can help you over some obstacles; it may be you will so develop that in some future time you will be able to help us, or others, over obstacles. The employment of xxxxx is only the first thing we can teach you. lt will liberate your world from a great deal of hard work, and clear the your future development.’
‘So we are, in fact, a kind of investment for you?’
‘You could also say that if a teacher does not teach his pupils to overtake him there can be no advance.’
There was quite a lot more along these lines. I found it somewhat tedious. It was difficult to drag thc conversation from the general to the particular, Chocky seemed to have her mission so much at heart. But I managed it at last.
Why, I wanted to know, out of millions of possible hosts, had Chocky chosen to come here and `haunt’ Matthew.
Chocky explained that `millions’ was a gross overstatement. Conditions varied with the type of intelligent life-form, of course, but here there was a number of qualifications that had to be fulfilled. First, the subject had to have the type of mind that was susceptible to her communications. This was by no means common. Second, it l@ad to bc a young mind. Third, it must be a mind with a potential of development – which, according to her, a surprising proportion have not. Fourth, its owner must inhabit a technologically advanced country where the educational opportunities are good.
These requirements narrowed the field remarkably, but eventually her search had brought her to Matthew who fulfilled all of them.
I said that I still did not see her purpose. She said, and I thought I could detect a note of sadness even through the flatness of her speech:
‘I would have interested Matthew in physics. He would have taken it up, and with me to help him he would have done remarkably well. As his knowledge of physics increased we should have had the basis of a common language. He would begin to understand some of the concepts I wanted to communicate to him. Gradually, as he learned, communication would grow still better. I should convince him that xxxxx existed, and he would begin to search for it. I would still be able to communicate only in terms that he could understand. It still would l)e like’ – there was a pause – `something like trying to teach a steam-engineer with no knowledge of electricity how to build a radio transmitter – without names for any of the parts, or word for their functions. Difficult, but with time, patience, and intelligence, not impossible.
‘If he had succeeded in demonstrating the existence of xxxxx – let us call it cosmic-power – he would have become the most famous man in your world. Greater than your Newton, or your Einstein.’
There was a pause while she let that sink in. It did. I said:
‘Do you know, I don’t think that would have suited Matthew very well. He hated taking the credit for saving Polly’s life. He would have hated this unearned fame even more.’
‘It would have been hard-earned. Very hard-earned indeed.’
‘Perhaps, but all the same – Oh, well, it doesn’t matter now. Tell me, why have you decided to give it up? Why arc you going away?’
‘Because I made mistakes. I have failed here. It is my first assignment. I was warned of the difficulties and dangers. I did not take enough notice of the warnings. The failure is my own fault.’
A scout, a missionary, she explained, should preserve detachment. She was advised not to let her sympathies become engaged, not to identify with her host, and, above all, to be discreet.
Chocky had understood this well enough in theory before she came, hut once she had made contact with Matthew it had seemed that the preservation of detachment was not one of her gifts. The proper missionary temperament would not have let itself get into arguments with Matthew; nor have made disparaging remarks about the local inhabitants. It would simply have noted that Matthew was incompetent with his paints; it would not have tried to help him do better. It would have been careful to keep its influence down to the minimum. Quite certainly it would not have permitted itself to develop an affection for Matthew that could lead to an interference with the natural course of events. It would regretfully, but quite properly, have let Matthew drown …
‘Well, thank God for your lack of discretion that time,’ 1 said. `But are these indiscretions as serious as all that? I can see that they have aroused a certain amount of unwelcome attention, indeed we have suffered from it ourselves, but it doesn’t see!n to me that even ta@en all together they can amount to failure.’
Chocky insisted that they did. She i@ad had her first suspicion that failure might lie ahead when Matthew had talked to Landis.